Air Guitar World Championships
20.-22.8.2025 Oulu, Finland
Dark Horses Qualifying Round – Sign Up Now!
This is your way to the world final! The Dark Horses Qualifications are held on the 21st of August 2025 at 45 Special night club in Oulu, Finland. The contestants are either sent in by the national organizations, or Air Guitarists signed up through an open call. Some of these contestants will be fighting and playing their way to the final stage!
Spend an unforgettable night with us when Dark Horses battle their way to the Friday’s final. The night will be filled with masterful international Air Guitar talent, Aireoke, and an atmosphere you can’t find anywhere else.
Sign-Up Rounds
Signing up to Dark Horses Qualifying Round happens in two patches. The first Early Bird sign-up opens mid-May and the second in July. Dark Horses will be chosen through a raffle – not on first come first served basis!
Early Bird Sign-Up in May
This year the first round of sign-ups prioritized those competitors, whose home countries do not host national championships. This is a way to take into consideration those Air Guitarists who won’t have the opportunity brought by the nationals, to represent as their countries national champion at the final, or as the official Dark Horse at the qualifications.
Ten (10) Dark Horses was drawn from the first round of sign-ups. First, the spots were raffled between those competitors whose home countries don’t host nationals. The remaining spots were raffled between those competitors whose home countries do host nationals.
Second Sign-Up Round in July – Now Open!
The second sign-up form will be open from Tuesday the 1st, until Tuesday the 15th of July. The Dark Horses will be raffled from this round as per usual, but now all competitors have equal chances to get chosen. The sign up form will open in the morning of July the 1st and close at 23:59 (UTC+3) on July the 15th.
All signed-up competitors will be notified by Friday 18th of July whether they got picked. The chosen Dark Horses will then be asked to pay a 25 € entry fee within a week, to confirm their spot in the qualifications.
Timetable 2025
August 20: Airientation
August 21: Dark Horses Qualification
August 22: The World Final
